3D modeling software

Hi ! I've been using 3D modeling software like Ideas, Solidworks etc. for a long time ... but they have one deficiency .... price :grumpy: ! At times I've tried cheaper alternatives you can find from the net ... but always had to revert to these "dinosaurs" when some features haven't quite cut it etc (usually when you have complex 3D curved volumes is when this happens). I use 3D modeling software primarily for geometry modeling + mesh generation, i.e. like finite element analysis for PDE solving. Are there any good alternatives out there instead of using the good old "high - rollers" ?

The interesting thing about Povray is that a GUI interface isn't included with it, that's why I said there's plenty out there. A Povray model can be written in a text file Notepad, for instance. You then can call the Povray executable to generate a rendering based on the parameters you supplied in the text file. Maya and others, work on the same premise, but you're probably not going to use the command line if you bought a copy of Maya. Povray is free, without any annoying restrictions, and it also runs on many more platforms than Maya does.

Wanted to give an update of sorts ... thanks again, so far been testing Povray in some rendering stuff where it appears to perform fine, but I've been totally blown away by maya ... from my so far limited experience with it I've been able to work with some really complex problems which some of the "dinosaurs" I've been using previously were unable to handle ... a great package, so far haven't really come up with complaints. Still to give discreet studio a try.